As Kimimaro was considering how to withstand the final strike, Hoshiyomi's figure had already appeared beside Mikazuki Munechika.
The final sword!
Hoshiyomi raised his hand and drew the blade.
Even before it was fully unsheathed, the sword energy erupting from it sliced a thin crack into the Truth-Seeking Orb beside Kimimaro.
Seeing Hoshiyomi's right hand gripping Mikazuki Munechika, Kimimaro's pupils contracted sharply.
It's too late!
With such overwhelming power, this last strike couldn't be defended against by ordinary means.
The only way to block this attack—
was to clash head-on.
After all, offense was sometimes the best defense.
With that resolve, Kimimaro raised his hand.
Behind him, the remaining Truth-Seeking Orbs instantly merged into one.
As they fused, a blinding golden radiance shot skyward, a beam so immense it seemed capable of cleaving the moon in half.
Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!
Even for Kimimaro, this technique counted as one of his ultimate trump cards.
If unleashed at full power, it could split the moon effortlessly.
Of course, Kimimaro had no intention of slicing the moon or accidentally killing his "little hometown friend."
So he did not use its full strength.
"Using this to counter Hoshiyomi's final sword should be enough."
Muttering softly, Kimimaro swung his golden blade almost simultaneously with Hoshiyomi.
Mikazuki Munechika swept upward toward Kimimaro with world-cleaving momentum.
Even before the blade touched him, countless chaotic sword energies surged through the air toward Kimimaro.
Kimimaro ignored the disorderly sword energy, focusing entirely on Hoshiyomi's upward slash.
He swung the Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion horizontally to meet it.
The golden blade brought with it a violent tempest.
Even before the two weapons collided, the shockwaves distorted the space within the sword formation.
Then—
Blue-silver light met blazing gold.
BOOM!!
An unbelievably powerful shockwave swept across the entire sword formation.
Without the 24 holy swords maintaining it, the formation shattered instantly.
The destructive force ripped the formation apart and expanded outward, tearing the land below into pieces.
The remaining Otsutsuki ruins disintegrated into dust in an instant.
Meanwhile, in the shinobi world below—
On a moonlit street, a couple was on their first date.
As the man glanced at his laughing partner, he swallowed nervously and slowly reached out his hand.
Just as he was about to place it on her shoulder, he casually looked up at the sky—trying to act natural.
But the moment his hand was about to land, he suddenly flinched, and—SMACK!
He slapped her shoulder hard.
The shy girl stumbled forward, her pleasant mood evaporating instantly.
She stomped down on his foot with her heel and stormed off.
The man grabbed his foot and shouted:
"Babe, I swear I didn't mean it! It's because the moon just sparked!"
The girl looked up, doubtful.
The moon looked the same… though perhaps trembling?
Or maybe she was just too angry to see clearly.
"Ugh! You liar! Go die!"
...
Back on the moon—
The sky was still filled with swirling smoke and dust.
Within the thick haze, two men lay on the ground gasping for breath.
At first glance they seemed fine, but the massive hundred-meter ravine behind them told the real story—their battle had been nothing short of catastrophic.
Hoshiyomi clutched his slowly healing chest wound and panted:
"Just as I thought… dealing with a Six-Paths-level technique like Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion is still pretty tough."
On the other side, Kimimaro glanced at the dried blood on his chest and rolled his eyes.
"Don't act all pitiful after taking advantage, will you? Hah… I can't even remember the last time I got hurt like this. Suddenly taking a hit like that… it does hurt a bit.
Anyway, how did the battle result turn out? Your system must've handed you a ton of experience."
Hoshiyomi entered the Sword Heart System and checked his experience bar.
When he came back out, his eyes already held a pleased smile.
He raised three fingers and said:
"Just as expected—fighting you once is more useful than training for five years.
That battle just now? Even with the system marking it as a draw, I got thirty experience points.
If I ever actually beat you someday—tsk tsk…"
Seeing Hoshiyomi's expression, Kimimaro snorted and cursed playfully:
"Get lost. I'm not losing to you.
Being able to get a draw from me is already a blessing—be happy with that.
If we keep fighting like this every once in a while, then by the time the Ryūmyaku's power gathers, you'll probably reach Sword Saint level."
As Kimimaro looked up at the sky, Hoshiyomi tilted his head slightly and only spoke after a moment:
"…Thanks."
Hearing this, Kimimaro waved his hand casually:
"We're from the same hometown.
It's natural for transmigrators to help each other out, isn't it?"
...
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, Hoshiyomi had spent nearly three years in this shinobi world.
Every ten days or half a month, he would spar with Kimimaro once.
Though the experience points gained gradually decreased as they fought more and more, three years of accumulation still allowed Hoshiyomi to reap massive benefits.
With sporadic battles over three years, Hoshiyomi's experience skyrocketed like a rocket.
His mastery had reached:
Grandmaster Swordsmanship: 480/500
Only 20 points left until Sword Saint level.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
As usual, after another intense battle, the moon finally settled into silence.
Among the broken remains of the Otsutsuki ruins, Kimimaro looked at Hoshiyomi and sighed:
"You really are becoming harder and harder to deal with.
In the past, if you didn't use Ghost Swordsmanship — Storm Style, I barely had to put in effort.
But now? You're a real headache."
Hoshiyomi rubbed his sore shoulder—pummeled by Kimimaro—and laughed:
"Don't worry. You won't have this problem anymore."
Hearing that, Kimimaro—who was just sighing—froze mid-thought, staring blankly.
"You reached Sword Saint level?"
"No. I'm still 20 experience short."
"Then why stop?
Want me to throw the next match on purpose?
You'd instantly break through."
Hoshiyomi shook his head gently.
He stood up and bowed deeply to Kimimaro.
"No need.
You've already helped me plenty.
But for the last bit of experience… I don't plan to farm it here anymore.
In the end, I still want some real excitement back there.
The rest of the experience—I'll figure it out once I return.
We transmigrators need a clutch breakthrough at a critical moment, or else it just feels wrong."
...
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